Portable drum rotator



May 4, 1965 J. 5. ECKERT PORTABLE DRUM ROTATOR 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 23, 1963 INVENTOR. JOHN S. ECKERT ATTORNEY May 4, 1965 J. s. ECKERT PORTABLE DRUM ROTATOR 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 23, 1963 INVENTOR. JOHN S. ECKERT BY fl ATTO RNEY may 4, 1965 J. s. ECKERF PORTABLE DRUM ROTATOR Fi-id Dec. 23, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG. 4

. INVENTOR. JOHN S. ECKERT ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,181,842 PORTABLE DRW ROTATOR John S. Eckert, Silver Lake, Ohio, assignor to The United States Stoneware Company, Talimadge, Ohio, a corporation of Ghlo Filed Dec. 23, 1963, Ser. No. 332,752 1 Claim. (Cl. 259-89) This invention relates to a portable drum rotator. The design is much simpler than that of the prior-art portable drum rotators and can be built much more economically.

The frame of the rotator, including the top and sides, is bent from a single sheet of steel. Whereas usually these rotators are provided with wheels, at least some of which are adapted to be raised and lowered, the roller means of this invention are stationary, thereby reducing the cost or" manufacture. An angle bar is provided to assist the up-ending of the rotator to receive or discharge a drum.

The invention is further described in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of the rotator with a part broken away to show the motor within the rotator; and showing the rotator and a drum in phantom in the loading and unloading positions;

FIGURE 2 is a right elevation of the rotator as shown in FIGURE 1, showing in phantom the position of the drum;

FIGURE 3 is a left elevation of the rotator as shown in FIGURE 1 showing the drum in phantom, and with a part of the rotator broken away;

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of the rotator; and

FIGURE 5 is a plan view of the frame prior to being bent.

The frame 1 shown in FIGURE 5 is cut from rather heavy gauge steel. After making the necessary openings in the sheet, as shown in FIGURE 5, the sides 3 and 4 are bent down from the top 5 along the lines 6 and 7. The opening 8 accommodates a chain drive to be described. Flanges 9 are advantageously added to the bottom edges of the sides 3 and 4 to strengthen them.

After the sides 3 and 4 have been bent down the angle 18 is welded to the ends of the sides at the rear of the retator to hold them together, and casters 11 with rollers 12 are attached. The wheels 13 are mounted on the axle 4 with spacers 15 between each wheel and its side. The pipe 18 is welded to the undersurface of the top 5 to accommodate a pry bar 19, shown in phantom, to assist in up-ending the rotator and returning it to the upright position. Immediately in front of the rollers 13 is the angle iron 21 on which the rotator is pivoted in up-ending the rotator and returning it to its normal position.

The drum 25 is supported on the rollers 26, 27 as it is rotated. The end plate 28 holds the drum as the rotator is up-ended or returned to the upright position.

Motor 30 is mounted on the underside of the top 5 and drives the two rollers 26 mounted on the shaft 31 through the chain drive 32. This chain drive passes "Ice through the opening 8 in the top of the frame. The rollers 26 are shown as being eccentrically mounted to increase the agitation imparted by rotation, although this is not essential. The rollers 27 are idlers.

The pi es 35 which support the bearings 36 on Which the rollers are mounted, are welded to the top of the 7 frame.

The equipment shown is illustrative and variations are possible.

The invention is covered in the claim which follows.

What I claim is:

A portable drum rotator which comprises (1) an integral frame of sheet metal with a top portion and sides bent down therefrom,

(2) rollers fastened to the upper surface of the top which are positioned to support a drum,

(3) drive means fastened to theframe and connected with at least one of said rollers for rotation of a drum supported thereon,

(4) the front edge of each side being rounded downwardly toward the rear and slanting upward from the rear of the rounded portion,

(5) the bottom edge of each side being flanged to strengthen it,

(6) an axle which extends between said sides in the forward portion of the rotator,

(7) a wheel on each end of the axle inside of the sides,

the wheels and axle supporting the sides, a r

(8) an angle iron across the back of the sides with one flange upright and fastened to the edges of the backs of the sides near the bottoms thereof to brace the sides,

(9) the other flange of the angle iron extending horizontally to the rear of the rotator with a caster fastened to the bottom of each end thereof to support the rear of the rotator, and

(10) an angle iron immediately in front of said wheels the open side of which is attached to the bottoms of the sides, with the corner of the angle iron just above the bottoms of the wheels when the rotator is in the upright position whereby said corner is available to serve as a pivot on which the rotator can be upended from the rear and returned to its upright position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 454,448 6/91 Barley 280-791 X 489,745 1/93 Juvinall et a1. 248-129 X 861,848 7/07 Herreid 248-129 1,525,685 2/25 Olson 248-143 X 1,745,258 1/30 Hallowell 280-791 1,866,887 7/32 Gleason et al 248-192 X 1,879,214 9/32 Hallowell et al 280-791 X 2,417,553 3/47 Jensen 214-340 X 2,653,015 9/53 Andrews 259-81 CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner. 

